April 22, 2010

Scientist Richard Lindzen sees climate change discredited as Earth Day turns 40. It is, to me, no coincidence that Earth Day, which sparked a revolution that changed politics, comes on the anniversary date of another revolutionary who changed politics, Lenin. Both revolutions championed government control over individuals. Neither change was for the better.

President Obama's 21st century space policy remarks at NASA last Thursday simply astonish. Moonman #2 Buzz Aldrin may believe Obama actually intends, having scrapped the Moon mission, to go to the asteroids and Mars, as the US faces trillions in new red ink. But Moonman # 1 Neil Armstrong & other Moonwalkers see us giving up leadership in space. The sole bright spot I can see in the new policy as R&D on new forms of propulsion; chemical rockets are little more than fuel-guzzling Roman candles. Until newer, more powerful & efficient propulsion systems are deployed, deep space travel will remain the province of Trekkies.

Bottom Line. We cannot put a man (or woman) on the Moon today, as we did in 1969. We cannot build an atom bomb today, as we did in 1945. We do not even, anymore, have America's most famous Moonwalker of all (sorry Neil & Buzz), Michael Jackson. What we have a memories of "Ol' Blue Eyes" & "Der Bingle" colliding with Mars one July, and of "The Chairman of the Board" asking to see what life is like on Jupiter & Mars (before the collision). How does one say "Moon mission" in Mandarin Chinese?

The Washington Times reports that while the First Couple donated 6 percent of their income to charity, exceeding the 3 to 5 percent level typical of American families, VP & Mrs. Biden donated a piddling 1.44 percent. As with the Clintons & Gores, the Bidens think charity comes from the public trough (rich taxpayers), so why give at home? As for the Obamas, they earned $5.5M & paid just under $1.8M in taxes, a tad less than 1/3 of their income, far less then the sky-high marginal tax rates they wish to impose on folks earning more than $250,000--a sum less than 5 percent fo their household take.

Leave it to Jeffrey Lord to offer another engrossing history lesson: how filibustering a Supreme Court nomination at the end of LBJ's Presidency allowed Richard Nixon to name Warren Burger Chief Justice in 1969. The parallel is not exact to the Stevens case, but is well worth reading. George Will warns conservatives that deference to legislative prerogative, a traditional measure of ranking judges, ignores depredations of popular sovereignty, such as abuse of eminent domain & curbing political speech.

April 14, 2010

The Nuclear Security Summit Final Communique wrapped up the largest conclave of world leaders convened in America by any US President since the 1945 meeting creating the UN. Its message was, in a word, PIFFLE....

April 13, 2010

Mark Steyn at NRO details the key tax policies driving America into permanent economic decline. Juxtapose the lopsided 75 percent share of income tax revenues collected from the top 10 percent of income filers with the number of taxpayers who pay zero taxes now 47 percent & soon to cross 50 percent, thus creating a permanent beneficiary class who benefit from spending now matter how high deficits soar, and America's grand run looks to be over.

April 12, 2010

Friday's announcement by Justice John Paul Stevens, senior in service on the Supreme Court (34 years), gives President Obama a chance to lock in a second seat in the liberal bloc for decades. Stevens began as a moderate conservative, highly-regarded as a jurist. He swung well left during his tenure, a turn common to GOP nominees. What might President Obama, and Senate Republicans do?....

The Senate has until January 3, 2011 (when the 112th Congress is seated) 57 Democratic and 2 Independent votes presumptively solid for any non-radical Democratic nominee. Constitutional scholar Jeffrey Rosen said on Fox News that the President can go to his left, right or center, within the range of possible short-list nominees. Rosen suggested federal appeals judge Diane Wood as the lefty, federal appeals judge Merrick Garland as the righty & Solicitor-General Elena Kagan as the middle. Another option would be helping a political pal in trouble, like Obama doppelganger Deval Patrick, the embattled Massachusetts governor who is a lefty in the Obama mold.

Charles Krauthammer suggested that moderate Democratic senators facing tough re-election battles, like Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, would prefer not to have to defend a radical pick. While President Obama could throw them under the bus, the result could be more GOP pickups this fall. Changes in the new Senate could make a radical appointee no longer confirmable.

Hearings will be held no later than August, and more likely in July, to ensure that the new Justice is confirmed and has time to settle in at his new address, meet new colleagues, get his clerks into the routine, etc.

George Will said yesterday on ABC News Sunday "This Week" that the Judge Robert Bork nomination changed Supreme Court history. Noted GW: In 1939, FDR nominee Felix Frankfurter was confirmed in 12 days; in 1940 Justice William O. Douglas was confirmed in 15 days; in 1976 Justice Stevens was confirmed in 3 weeks, was not asked one question on abortion, and the Senate vote was 98-0 after 5 minutes of floor debate; in 1986 Antonin Scalia was confirmed 98-0.

What Democrats Hath Wrought. Judge Bork was defeated 58-52 in 1987, after months of savaging via grotesque caricature. While Anthony Kennedy (1988) & David Souter (1990) escaped a fusillade, Clarence Thomas (1991) was subjected to what the nominee himself termed "a high-tech lynching." The GOP tried to return nominations to traditional standards, with Clinton appointees Ruth Bader Ginsburg (q1993) & Stephen Breyer (1994) confirmed within about 10 weeks, with hearings notably free of aggressive questioning,, and GOP senators stressing that qualification & not judicial philosophy was their touchstone. While Breyer was a moderate liberal who had promoted economic deregulation while serving under Ted Kennedy in the Senate, Ginsburg had a long record of ardent liberal activism, in the forefront of many battles during the 1970s & 1980s.

Came then the hearings for Chief Justice nominee John Roberts (2005) & Associate Justice nominee Samuel Alito (2006). Both possessed sterling qualifications for the Court, and were entitled to the deference given Justices Ginsburg & Breyer during their nomination hearings. Their judicial philosophies were plumbed aggressively by Democrats. In Alito's case, harsh questioning became so intense that the nominee's wife burst into tears & had to leave the chamber.

Thus, after the GOP had tried to return judicial confirmation hearings to traditional rules--with qualification paramount & deference to Presidential preference as to judicial philosophy --Democrats resurrected their New Nomination Rules: viewpoint trumps qualifications, and GOP nominees are thus fair targets on any & all counts.

AMONG THE VOTES CAST AGAINST BOTH ROBERTS & ALITO WERE THOSE CAST BY THEN-SENATORS BARACK OBAMA & JOE BIDEN.

Bottom Line. THE GOP SHOULD FOLLOW DEMOCRATIC NEW RULES, SAVE BE COURTEOUS AT ALL TIMES. THEY ARE ENTITLED TO VOTE FOR THE RECORD EVEN AGAINST A FULLY-QUALIFIED NOMINEE, THAT THEIR VIEWS ON JUDGING REMAIN AN ELECTION ISSUE.

Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) & Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said that there are not 67 votes for the arms treaty in the Senate, and that the lengthy hearings needed to assess New START would push a ratification votes into 2011. There is good reason to stop New START....

April 09, 2010

In a moment of eerie symbolism on the eve of a new arms treaty, late last month Morris Jeppson, age 87, passed away. Jeppson assisted William Parsons, the chief weapons officer on the Enola Gay, helping arm "Little Boy" en route to Hiroshima. Only the B-29's navigator survives.